Prisoners of War and American Self-Image during the American Revolution

Abstract

During the American Revolution, accounts of the experiences of prisoners of war helped those fighting for the cause of independence to create a definition of American liberty. In highlighting the ‘barbarous and cruel’ nature of British treatment of prisoners, these narratives allowed those who supported the patriot cause to highlight the difference between themselves and their former colonial masters. As prisoners’ accounts appeared in newspapers, broadsides, and individual volumes, the plight of captive Americans became a form of shorthand for the struggle of the entire nation as it tried to secure its independence from the ‘savage Britons’.